Yuba City, CA Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)

08(b) treats an uncorrected leak as unlawful water waste: if water is wastefully or negligently used on a customer's premises, the City may discontinue service until the condition is fixed. The same subsection creates a leak adjustment credit for leaks the customer could not reasonably control. To qualify, the leak must sit in the customer's own service line, beyond the control of the owner, tenant, or contractor; ordinary leaking faucets, fixtures, or appliances that could have been reasonably foreseen do not qualify. Excess usage must run at least 100% above the customer's normal usage, measured against the average for the same billing period over the prior three years.

A customer cannot receive more than one adjustment in any 24-month period, and the request form, available at City Hall and on the City's website, must be filed within three months of completing the repair and be accompanied by proof of repair such as a receipt or invoice. The Finance Director or a designee decides whether the leak and paperwork meet these requirements, and that decision is final under the code. A granted adjustment posts as a bill credit for one billing cycle only and cannot exceed $500 in value.

Anyone who receives an insurance payment covering the leak must notify the City immediately and may be required to repay the credit. 20, which escalates from a written warning to a $50, then $100, then $250 surcharge on the monthly bill for repeat water-waste violations.